The Huntress
by imythomagic
Summary: Aralynn is the youngest member of the Sentinels and no one really pays much attention to her. Then she meets a boy who she really shouldn't have met at all. One who changes her and the rest of her people's lives forever.


**A/N: This is my very first fanfic so please, forgive me for the mistakes I make! I would really appreciate feedback if you have any, thanks for giving my story a chance!**

_By Elune this is boring. _I thought as I sat in my usual perch on a high branch in the tree just outside the gates of Darnassuss. I always get put on guard duty, the only reason being that nothing ever happens. As the youngest member of the Sentinels, two hundred and thirty one in elven years (or about fifteen in human years), I'll never be accepted. I only got in at such an early age because my mother is the Ranger-General, the highest rank. But even she pays no attention to me; it's all about my older sister, Nakarra, who is the _perfect _daughter. She's always been better at me in everything. Always the better hunter, tracker, fighter, you name it, she excels at it. She along with a few of her friends think it's very entertaining to humiliate me. They take my stuff and hide it and stick their legs out while I'm walking by. I guess she finds it awful that her little sister is in the same group as her so she wants to prove I mean nothing to her. The only friend I really had was Astrea, and she's not even a person. Astrea is my Stormsaber, each Sentinel gets our own cat. They act as our mounts, pets or hunting companions. She's very loyal and comes to me when I call for her; I love her more than anything. I think she'll always be my only friend.

I sigh as I look out across the forest. Mist hangs in the air and the sun still isn't up yet. I'm always on the morning shift, then I get to take a short break, eat something, rest, then it's back to guard duty. I swing my feet as I sit and wrap my dark blue cloak tighter around me and pull the hood over my face. I lean back against the trunk of the tree and can feel my eyes get heavy. Before I can stop myself, I'm asleep.

Hours later my eyes flutter open. Late morning light shines brightly through the trees and onto my face. _How long was I out? _I wonder as I sit up quickly. I grab my bow and quiver from where I left them on the branch beside me and throw them over my back. I swing back on my knees and then let myself fall, doing a little summersault in the air before landing softly on the forest floor. And no, that's not me showing off, everyone here knows a good amount of acrobatics, it's a good skill to have in combat. I begin to sprint back to the city, my feet making no sound as they hit the ground. As I enter Darnassuss I make a great effort in avoiding the townspeople, dodging them left and right. I sprint until I reach the tree that leads to the Sentinel's base. The door creaks open and I step in, out of breath. The few huntresses off duty look up at me with distaste. "You're late Aralynn." One of them sneers. I nod quickly. "Yes, I know. Sorry." I grab a hunk of bread from the kitchen table. "You know what the punishment for that is right?" The other asks, smirking. I nod, slower this time. "Don't come back until you bring back a deer." They wear matching smiles now. "Exactly, now I suggest you begin if you want dinner tonight." I shakily salute and head out the door. I'm not in a hurry now; I nibble at my bread as I walk. I stop and whistle for Astrea. Minutes later she comes bounding over to me. Her dark blue pelt is dotted with black spots, her underbelly a pure white. She wears armor, like the other sabers and her eyes glow a soft blue. I scratch her behind the ears and she lets out a satisfied purr. "I have some hunting to do, will you help?" I ask and she licks her lips in response. I grin. "Good girl." I throw one of legs around her and lift myself into the saddle. She bounds off, paws padding softly against the ground.

The thicket is the best hunting spot. It's the thickest part of the woods and there's a small pool in the center that animals come to drink from. I tell Astrea to return to the city and begin walking toward the pool. I draw my bow and notch and arrow, waiting for something to move. But nothing does and I continue. I wait for a sound, hooves pounding or a branch snapping. I wait, and wait but it's as if all the animals have disappeared. I decide to stay by the pool until something comes along. I stop at the water's edge and look down at myself. It's been a long time since I'd seen my reflection. I have long midnight blue hair that is now in a braid over my shoulder. My skin is silvery and will sometimes glow slightly in the moonlight. My markings are a deep fuchsia color and shaped like a curved double bladed sword, one over each eye. Like all night elves my eyes glow a soft blue and my ears are pointed and very long. I then hear the _crunch _of a branch and refocus my attention. I crouch low and pull back the string of my bow, not daring to even breathe. A young buck emerges from around a bush. He raises his head and I let the arrow fly. It strikes him right in the side and I wince. I prefer to kill with one shot; I don't want animals to suffer. I run up and the buck is grunting, his eyes wild. I pull out my hunting knife from the strap on my leg and strike him. The life leaves his eyes and he goes quiet. "I thank Elune for this gift." I murmur as I remove my arrow from the deer's skin. I drag the buck toward the pool in hope to clean it before returning to the base, that way I won't have to carry the entire animal. After skinning it and removing the extra parts I wrap up the good meat in part of the hide and bury the organs. Maybe a wolf or saber will gain a meal from that later. I'm all ready to walk back when I feel a strange object beneath my foot. Before I can step back I hear a _snap_ and in seconds I'm in a net. _Great, just great. _I fumble for my knife but it's not there. I look down and see it lying on the ground below me. I sigh. _Of course. _No use calling for help, there are no hunting patrols at this hour. I try to reach for my knife but I'm about four feet off the ground, there's no use. The rope of the net is too thick to try to break and the knots too tight to untie. _Just my luck. What hunter put this much work into when net? _Then I hear a whistle from behind me and a male voice says; "Wow, you're very stuck." _Yeah, that's pretty obvious…_


End file.
